Readings
Course Outline and Assigned Readings
January 22 : First Class
- Introductions
- Reviewing the syllabus, layout of the course, and blog
January 29: The Three R's and an Overview
- Guttmacher Institute, "Interpreting Research Studies" (2006)
- Shafritz and Borick, "Why Advancement in Public Administration Has Always Been an Essay Contest" (2011)
- Adolino and Blake, Comparing Public Policies: Issues and Choices in Industrialized Countries, 2nd edition (2011), Chapters 3 and 4
- Easton, "An Approach to the Analysis of Political Systems" (1957)
February 5: Elites vs. The Masses
- Domhoff, Who Rules America: Power and Politics in the Year 2000 (1998), Chapter 3
- Burstein, "The Impact of Public Opinion on Public Policy: A Review and an Agenda" (2003)
- Friedman, "Managing Fear: The Politics of Homeland Security" (2011)
February 12: Polarization
- Mann and Ornstein, It's Even Worse Than it Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With the New Politics of Extremism (2012), Chapter 2
- McCarty, "The Policy Effects of Political Polarization" (2007)
- Arceneaux and Nicholson, "Who Wants to Have a Tea Party" (2012)
February 19: Separation of Powers and Gridlock
- Skocpol and Jacobs, "Accomplished and Embattled: Understanding Obama's Presidency" (2012)
- Mann and Ornstein, The Broken Branch: How Congress is Failing America and How to Get it Back on Track (2008), Chapters 1 and 5
- Taft, "The Boundaries between the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial Branches of the Government" (1916)
February 26: Interest Groups and Inequality
- Bartels, Unequal Democracy: The Political Economy of the New Gilded Age (2008), Chapter 9
- Verba, "Would the Dream of Political Equality Turn out to be a Nightmare?" (2003)
- Cigler and Loomis, Interest Group Politics, 7th edition (2007), Chapter 1
- Strolovitch, "Do Interest Groups Represent the Disadvantaged?" (2006)
March 5: Federalism and State Government
- Rosenn, "Federalism in the Americas in Comparative Perspective" (1994)
- Squire and Moncrief, State Legislatures Today: Politics Under the Domes (2010), Chapter 6
March 12: Political Feasibility Memo Workshop
- Meltsner, "Political Feasibility and Policy Analysis" (1972)
- Dror, "The Prediction of Political Feasibility" (1969)
March 26: Agenda Setting
- Kingdon, Chapters 1-3 and Appendix on Methods
April 2: Problems, Policies, and Political Streams
- Kingdon, Chapters 4-7
April 9: Policy Windows
- Kingdon, Chapters 8-10
April 16: The Media, Framing, and Strategy
- Koch-Baumgarten and Voltmer, Public Policy and Mass Media: The Interplay of Mass Communication and Political Decision Making (2010), Chapters 10 and 11
- Ryan and Gamson, "The Art of Reframing Political Debates" (2006)
- Dreier and Martin, "How ACORN Was Framed: Political Controversy and Media Agenda Setting" (2010)
- Nisbet, "Communicating Climate Change: Why Frames Matter for Public Engagement" (2009)
- Maltzman, Lebovic, Saunders, and Furth, "Unleashing Presidential Power: The Politics of Pets in the White House" (2012)
April 23: The Blame Game
- Weaver, "The Politics of Blame" (1987)
- Hood, "The Risk Game and the Blame Game" (2002)
- Zohlnhöfer, "The Politics of Budget Consolidation in Britain and Germany: The Impact of Blame Avoidance Opportunities" (2007)
April 30: Finding Success
- Patashnik, Reforms at Risk: What Happens After Major Policy Changes are Enacted (2008), Chapters 1, 3, and 9
- McConnell, "Policy Success, Policy Failure and Grey Areas in Between" (2010)
- Hacker, "The Road to Somewhere: Why Health Reform Happened" (2010)
May 7: Political Feasibility Memo Review